Niger Suspends Nine French Media Outlets

Niger suspended nine French media outlets on Friday in a decision announced by the National Communication Observatory in a statement broadcast on state television. The outlets are France 24, Radio France Internationale, France Afrique Média, LSI Africa, AFP (Agence France-Presse), TV5 Monde, TF1 Info, Jeune Afrique and Mediapart.

The suspension is immediate and applies to satellite packages, cable networks, digital platforms, websites and mobile applications.

A Niger government statement said the suspended media had repeatedly broadcast content likely to seriously endanger public order, national unity, social cohesion and the stability of institutions in Niger. RFI and France 24 were suspended a few days after the July 2023 coup d'état. The BBC was suspended in December 2024.

Burkina Faso banned the broadcasting of the TV5 Monde channel on Tuesday, accusing it of disinformation and apology for terrorism in its coverage of jihadist violence. Mali has banned French media. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso form the Alliance of Sahel States, all ruled by military juntas.

Niger's military seized power in July 2023, toppling the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum, who was detained following the coup. The country is ruled by a junta under General Abdourahamane Tchiani. In late 2023, Niger asked France to withdraw thousands of troops.

Two Nigerien journalists, Gazali Abdou, correspondent for Deutsche Welle, and Hassane Zada, editor-in-chief of a regional newspaper, were released this week after being imprisoned for several months. According to the United Nations, 13 journalists were arrested in Niger in 2025. The UN called for the release of the arrested journalists.

Six journalists are still being held in Niger on charges of undermining national defence and plotting against the state, local media reported. Niger enacted a law criminalising the online dissemination of information likely to disturb public order in 2024.

The country also suspended nearly 3,000 local and foreign NGOs in 2025, accusing them of a lack of transparency and of supporting terrorists or armed groups.

Niger fell 37 places in the Reporters Without Borders world press freedom index in 2026 and now ranks 120th out of 180 countries. Reporters Without Borders condemned the suspension of the nine French media outlets as abusive. "RSF condemns a coordinated strategy to repress press freedom within the AES and calls for the immediate reversal of this abusive decision," the organisation said.

RSF and Amnesty International have repeatedly expressed deep concern about press freedom violations in Niger.